A city-based builder who is already an accused in several criminal cases was arrested by Sahar police for carrying a fake passport. Riyaz Bhatia, who was headed to Australia on a fake passport in the name of Bhati Fulaji, was held by an immigration officer and handed over to Sahar police officials Tuesday evening. He was produced in court and will be in police custody till November 2.
Last year, the police had arrested Bhatia in a similar fake passport case when he was trying to move to another foreign country. Thereafter, Mumbai police ordered a lookout notice against him. Police officials said Assistant Immigration Officer of international airport Akimo Joseph Kharsi who was on duty, found Bhatia’s behaviour suspicious and started checking the latter’s details when he stumbled upon the lookout notice. That’s when officials came to know the man was Bhatia and not Bhati Fulaji. Sahar police officials said, “We have arrested and produced him in court. The court has remanded him to police custody till November 2. He got the fake passport made from Jaipur as per his statement. Although we have not yet arrested the fake passport maker, Bhatia used to travel to foreign countries on fake passports more than seven years ago. However, he was subsequently arrested by Mumbai police.” Bhatia has several cases of land-grabbing, cheating and fraud.
